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Anikin A, Barreda S, Reby D. A practical guide to calculating vocal tract length and scale-invariant formant patterns. Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:5588-5604. [PMID: 38158551 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-023-02288-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Formants (vocal tract resonances) are increasingly analyzed not only by phoneticians in speech but also by behavioral scientists studying diverse phenomena such as acoustic size exaggeration and articulatory abilities of non-human animals. This often involves estimating vocal tract length acoustically and producing scale-invariant representations of formant patterns. We present a theoretical framework and practical tools for carrying out this work, including open-source software solutions included in R packages soundgen and phonTools. Automatic formant measurement with linear predictive coding is error-prone, but formant_app provides an integrated environment for formant annotation and correction with visual and auditory feedback. Once measured, formants can be normalized using a single recording (intrinsic methods) or multiple recordings from the same individual (extrinsic methods). Intrinsic speaker normalization can be as simple as taking formant ratios and calculating the geometric mean as a measure of overall scale. The regression method implemented in the function estimateVTL calculates the apparent vocal tract length assuming a single-tube model, while its residuals provide a scale-invariant vowel space based on how far each formant deviates from equal spacing (the schwa function). Extrinsic speaker normalization provides more accurate estimates of speaker- and vowel-specific scale factors by pooling information across recordings with simple averaging or mixed models, which we illustrate with example datasets and R code. The take-home messages are to record several calls or vowels per individual, measure at least three or four formants, check formant measurements manually, treat uncertain values as missing, and use the statistical tools best suited to each modeling context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Anikin
- Division of Cognitive Science, Department of Philosophy, Lund University, Box 192, SE-221 00, Lund, Sweden.
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, CRNL Center for Research in Neuroscience in Lyon, University of Saint Étienne, 42023, St-Étienne, France.
| | - Santiago Barreda
- Department of Linguistics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - David Reby
- ENES Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, CRNL Center for Research in Neuroscience in Lyon, University of Saint Étienne, 42023, St-Étienne, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 75005, Paris, France
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2
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Watkins CD. Mate assessment based on physical characteristics: a review and reflection. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024. [PMID: 39175167 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
Mate choice, and sex differences in romantic behaviours, represented one of the first major applications of evolutionary biology to human behaviour. This paper reviews Darwinian approaches to heterosexual mate assessment based on physical characteristics, placing the literature in its historical context (1871-1979), before turning (predominantly) to psychological research on attractiveness judgements based on physical characteristics. Attractiveness is consistently inferred across multiple modalities, with biological theories explaining why we differentiate certain individuals, on average, from others. Simultaneously, it is a judgement that varies systematically in light of our own traits, environment, and experiences. Over 30 years of research has generated robust effects alongside reasons to be humble in our lack of understanding of the precise physiological mechanisms involved in mate assessment. This review concludes with three questions to focus attention in further research, and proposes that our romantic preferences still provide a critical window into the evolution of human sexuality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D Watkins
- Division of Psychology and Forensic Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, Abertay University, Kydd Building, Bell Street, Dundee, DD11HG, UK
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3
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Wu HY. Uncovering Gender-Specific and Cross-Gender Features in Mandarin Deception: An Acoustic and Electroglottographic Approach. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2024; 67:2021-2037. [PMID: 38820240 DOI: 10.1044/2024_jslhr-23-00288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aimed to investigate the acoustic and electroglottographic (EGG) profiles of Mandarin deception, including global characteristics and the influence of gender. METHOD Thirty-six Mandarin speakers participated in an interactive interview game in which they provided both deceptive and truthful answers to 14 biographical questions. Acoustic and EGG signals of the participants' responses were simultaneously recorded; 20 acoustic and 14 EGG features were analyzed using binary logistic regression models. RESULTS Increases in fundamental frequency (F0) mean, intensity mean, first formant (F1), fifth formant (F5), contact quotient (CQ), decontacting-time quotient (DTQ), and contact index (CI) as well as decreases in jitter, shimmer, harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR), and fourth formant (F4) were significantly correlated with global deception. Cross-gender features included increases in intensity mean and F5 and decreases in jitter, HNR, and F4, whereas gender-specific features encompassed increases in F0 mean, shimmer, F1, third formant, and DTQ, as well as decreases in F0 maximum and CQ for female deception, and increases in CQ and CI and decreases in shimmer for male deception. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that Mandarin deception could be tied to underlying pragmatic functions, emotional arousal, decreased glottal contact skewness, and more pressed phonation. Disparities in gender-specific features lend support to differences in the use of pragmatics, levels of deception-induced emotional arousal, skewness of glottal contact patterns, and phonation types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao-Yu Wu
- Department of English, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei City
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4
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Patel B, Zhang Z, McGettigan C, Belyk M. Speech With Pauses Sounds Deceptive to Listeners With and Without Hearing Impairment. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2023; 66:3735-3744. [PMID: 37672786 DOI: 10.1044/2023_jslhr-22-00618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Communication is as much persuasion as it is the transfer of information. This creates a tension between the interests of the speaker and those of the listener, as dishonest speakers naturally attempt to hide deceptive speech and listeners are faced with the challenge of sorting truths from lies. Listeners with hearing impairment in particular may have differing levels of access to the acoustical cues that give away deceptive speech. A greater tendency toward speech pauses has been hypothesized to result from the cognitive demands of lying convincingly. Higher vocal pitch has also been hypothesized to mark the increased anxiety of a dishonest speaker. METHOD Listeners with or without hearing impairments heard short utterances from natural conversations, some of which had been digitally manipulated to contain either increased pausing or raised vocal pitch. Listeners were asked to guess whether each statement was a lie in a two-alternative forced-choice task. Participants were also asked explicitly which cues they believed had influenced their decisions. RESULTS Statements were more likely to be perceived as a lie when they contained pauses, but not when vocal pitch was raised. This pattern held regardless of hearing ability. In contrast, both groups of listeners self-reported using vocal pitch cues to identify deceptive statements, though at lower rates than pauses. CONCLUSIONS Listeners may have only partial awareness of the cues that influence their impression of dishonesty. Listeners with hearing impairment may place greater weight on acoustical cues according to the differing degrees of access provided by hearing aids. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.24052446.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bindiya Patel
- Department of Audiological Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Ziyun Zhang
- Department of Speech Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Carolyn McGettigan
- Department of Speech Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Michel Belyk
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, United Kingdom
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5
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Articulatory effects on perceptions of men's status and attractiveness. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2647. [PMID: 36788286 PMCID: PMC9929068 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29173-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Research on heterosexual mating has demonstrated that acoustic parameters (e.g., pitch) of men's voices influence their attractiveness to women and appearance of status and formidability to other men. However, little is known about how men's tendency to clearly articulate their speech influences these important social perceptions. In the current study, we used a repeated-measures design to investigate how men's articulatory clarity or conformity influenced women's (N = 45) evaluations of men's attractiveness for both short- and long-term relationships, and men's (N = 46) evaluations of physical formidability and prestige. Results largely supported our hypotheses: men who enunciated phonemes more distinctly were more attractive to women for long-term relationships than short-term relationships and were perceived by other men to have higher prestige than physical dominance. These findings suggest that aspects of articulatory behavior that influence perceptions of prestige and long-term mating attractiveness may indicate an early social history characterized by high socioeconomic status, likely owing to crystallization of articulatory patterns during the critical period of language development. These articulatory patterns may also be honest signals of condition or disposition owing to the nature of complex, multicomponent traits, which deserve further empirical attention.
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Assessment of the obesity based on voice perception. ANTHROPOLOGICAL REVIEW 2023. [DOI: 10.18778/1898-6773.85.4.04] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Human voice is an extremely important biological signal which contains information about sex, age, emotional state, health and physical features of a speaker. Estimating a physical appearance from a vocal cue can be an important asset for sciences including forensics and dietetics. Although there have been several studies focused on the relationships between vocal parameters and ratings of height, weight, age and musculature of a speaker, to our knowledge, there has not been a study examining the assessment of one’s BMI based on voice alone.
The purpose of the current study was to determine the ability of female “Judges” to evaluate speakers’ (men and women) obesity and body fat distribution from their vocal cues. It has also been checked which voice parameters are key vocal cues in this assessment.
The study material consisted of 12 adult speakers’ (6 women) voice recordings assessed by 87 “Judges” based on a 5-point graphic scale presenting body fat level and distribution (separately for men and women). For each speaker body height, weight, BMI, Visceral Fat Level (VFL, InBody 270) and acoustic parameters were measured. In addition, the accuracy of BMI category was verified. This study also aimed to determine which vocal parameters were cues for the assessment for men and women. To achieve it, two independent experiments were conducted: I: “Judges” had to choose one (obese) speaker from 3 voices (in 4 series); II: they were asked to rate body fat level of the same 12 speakers based on 5-point graphic scale.
Obese speakers (i.e., BMI above 30) were selected correctly with the accuracy greater than predicted by chance (experiment I). By using a graphic scale, our study found that speakers exhibiting higher BMI were rated as fatter (experiment II). For male speakers the most important vocal predictors of the BMI were harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR) and formant dispersion (Df); for women: formant spacing (Pf) and intensity (loudness).
Human voice contains information about one’s increased BMI level which are hidden in some vocal cues.
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Chen S, Han C, Wang S, Liu X, Wang B, Wei R, Lei X. Hearing the physical condition: The relationship between sexually dimorphic vocal traits and underlying physiology. Front Psychol 2022; 13:983688. [DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.983688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing amount of research has shown associations between sexually dimorphic vocal traits and physiological conditions related to reproductive advantage. This paper presented a review of the literature on the relationship between sexually dimorphic vocal traits and sex hormones, body size, and physique. Those physiological conditions are important in reproductive success and mate selection. Regarding sex hormones, there are associations between sex-specific hormones and sexually dimorphic vocal traits; about body size, formant frequencies are more reliable predictors of human body size than pitch/fundamental frequency; with regard to the physique, there is a possible but still controversial association between human voice and strength and combat power, while pitch is more often used as a signal of aggressive intent in conflict. Future research should consider demographic, cross-cultural, cognitive interaction, and emotional motivation influences, in order to more accurately assess the relationship between voice and physiology. Moreover, neurological studies were recommended to gain a deeper understanding of the evolutionary origins and adaptive functions of voice modulation.
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Mailhos A, Egea-Caparrós DA, Guerrero Rodríguez C, Luzardo M, Kiskimska ND, Martínez Sánchez F. Vocal Cues to Male Physical Formidability. Front Psychol 2022; 13:879102. [PMID: 35865705 PMCID: PMC9294471 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.879102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal vocalizations convey important information about the emitter, including sex, age, biological quality, and emotional state. Early on, Darwin proposed that sex differences in auditory signals and vocalizations were driven by sexual selection mechanisms. In humans, studies on the association between male voice attributes and physical formidability have thus far reported mixed results. Hence, with a view to furthering our understanding of the role of human voice in advertising physical formidability, we sought to identify acoustic attributes of male voices associated with physical formidability proxies. Mean fundamental frequency (F0), formant dispersion (Df), formant position (Pf), and vocal tract length (VTL) data from a sample of 101 male voices was analyzed for potential associations with height, weight, and maximal handgrip strength (HGS). F0 correlated negatively with HGS; Pf showed negative correlations with HGS, height and weight, whereas VTL positively correlated with HGS, height and weight. All zero-order correlations remained significant after controlling for false discovery rate (FDR) with the Benjamini–Hochberg method. After controlling for height and weight—and controlling for FDR—the correlation between F0 and HGS remained significant. In addition, to evaluate the ability of human male voices to advertise physical formidability to potential mates, 151 heterosexual female participants rated the voices of the 10 strongest and the 10 weakest males from the original sample for perceived physical strength, and given that physical strength is a desirable attribute in male partners, perceived attractiveness. Generalized linear mixed model analyses—which allow for generalization of inferences to other samples of both raters and targets—failed to support a significant association of perceived strength or attractiveness from voices alone and actual physical strength. These results add to the growing body of work on the role of human voices in conveying relevant biological information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Mailhos
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Centro de Experimentación e Innovación Social, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- *Correspondence: Alvaro Mailhos,
| | | | - Cristina Guerrero Rodríguez
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Social Sostenible, Universidad de Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
| | - Mario Luzardo
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
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Chappuis C, Grandjean D. Set the tone: Trustworthy and dominant novel voices classification using explicit judgement and machine learning techniques. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267432. [PMID: 35767528 PMCID: PMC9242519 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Prior research has established that valence-trustworthiness and power-dominance are the two main dimensions of voice evaluation at zero-acquaintance. These impressions shape many of our interactions and high-impact decisions, so it is crucial for many domains to understand this dynamic. Yet, the relationship between acoustical properties of novel voices and personality/attitudinal traits attributions remains poorly understood. The fundamental problem of understanding vocal impressions and relative decision-making is linked to the complex nature of the acoustical properties in voices. In order to disentangle this relationship, this study extends the line of research on the acoustical bases of vocal impressions in two ways. First, by attempting to replicate previous finding on the bi-dimensional nature of first impressions: using personality judgements and establishing a correspondence between acoustics and voice-first-impression (VFI) dimensions relative to sex (Study 1). Second (Study 2), by exploring the non-linear relationships between acoustical parameters and VFI by the means of machine learning models. In accordance with literature, a bi-dimensional projection comprising valence-trustworthiness and power-dominance evaluations is found to explain 80% of the VFI. In study 1, brighter (high center of gravity), smoother (low shimmers), and louder (high minimum intensity) voices reflected trustworthiness, while vocal roughness (harmonic to noise-ratio), energy in the high frequencies (Energy3250), pitch (Quantile 1, Quantile 5) and lower range of pitch values reflected dominance. In study 2, above chance classification of vocal profiles was achieved by both Support Vector Machine (77.78%) and Random-Forest (Out-Of-Bag = 36.14) classifiers, generally confirming that machine learning algorithms could predict first impressions from voices. Hence results support a bi-dimensional structure to VFI, emphasize the usefulness of machine learning techniques in understanding vocal impressions, and shed light on the influence of sex on VFI formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyrielle Chappuis
- Neuroscience of Emotion and Affective Dynamics Lab, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Didier Grandjean
- Neuroscience of Emotion and Affective Dynamics Lab, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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10
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Voice Changes Across the Menstrual Cycle in Response to Masculinized and Feminized Man and Woman. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-022-00190-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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11
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Koutsoumpis A, de Vries RE. What Does Your Voice Reveal About You? JOURNAL OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1027/1614-0001/a000362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. The first goal of the present study was to explore how 21 voice measures related to self-reported personality and communication styles. The second goal was to test the assertion of Trait Activation Theory (TAT) that traits are activated in relevant situations and that verbal behavior is the result of an interplay between individual differences and situations. The voice of 138 participants was measured in the lab via steady voice and continuous speech tasks, whereas personality and communication styles were self-reported using the HEXACO and Communication Styles Inventory. To test TAT, four scenarios were developed to activate the communication styles of Informality and Expressiveness. It was hypothesized that the activated communication styles will interact with relevant situations and will be expressed through changes in voice (i.e., pitch variation). Regarding the first goal, an explorative approach revealed that voice characteristics are informative mainly for the personality traits of Openness to Experience, Emotionality, and Conscientiousness and the communication styles of Emotionality and Questioningness. Regarding the second goal, the interactions between situations and communication styles provided mixed support for TAT. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonis Koutsoumpis
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Reinout E. de Vries
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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12
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Hughes SM, Puts DA. Vocal modulation in human mating and competition. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200388. [PMID: 34719246 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The human voice is dynamic, and people modulate their voices across different social interactions. This article presents a review of the literature examining natural vocal modulation in social contexts relevant to human mating and intrasexual competition. Altering acoustic parameters during speech, particularly pitch, in response to mating and competitive contexts can influence social perception and indicate certain qualities of the speaker. For instance, a lowered voice pitch is often used to exert dominance, display status and compete with rivals. Changes in voice can also serve as a salient medium for signalling a person's attraction to another, and there is evidence to support the notion that attraction and/or romantic interest can be distinguished through vocal tones alone. Individuals can purposely change their vocal behaviour in attempt to sound more attractive and to facilitate courtship success. Several findings also point to the effectiveness of vocal change as a mechanism for communicating relationship status. As future studies continue to explore vocal modulation in the arena of human mating, we will gain a better understanding of how and why vocal modulation varies across social contexts and its impact on receiver psychology. This article is part of the theme issue 'Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part I)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan M Hughes
- Psychology Department, Albright College, Reading, PA 19612, USA
| | - David A Puts
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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Masi M, Mattavelli S, Fasoli F, Brambilla M. Cross-modal impression updating: Dynamic impression updating from face to voice and the other way around. BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 61:808-825. [PMID: 34878186 DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Research has shown that faces and voices shape impression formation. Most studies have examined either the impact of faces and voices in isolation or the relative contribution of each source when presented simultaneously. However, only a few studies have questioned whether and how impressions formed via one source can be updated due to incremental information gathered from the alternative source. Yet, cross-modal impression updating is key to shed light on person perception. Thus, we tested whether positive and negative face- and voice-based impressions could be updated by inconsistent cross-modal information. In Experiment 1 (N = 130), we tested whether face-based impressions could be updated by (in)consistent voices. In Experiment 2 (N = 262), we compared face-to-voice and voice-to-face impression updating. In Experiment 3 (N = 242), we favoured a more direct comparison of the two types of stimuli (i.e., the co-occurrence of both cue types when the new information is revealed). Results showed that voices have the greatest updating impact and that the updating effect of faces was halved when voices co-occurred for a second time. We discussed these results as evidence of the dynamical evolution of cross-modal impressions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Masi
- University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy.,University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
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14
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Gergely A, Tóth K, Faragó T, Topál J. Is it all about the pitch? Acoustic determinants of dog-directed speech preference in domestic dogs, Canis familiaris. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Schild C, Aung T, Kordsmeyer TL, Cardenas RA, Puts DA, Penke L. Linking human male vocal parameters to perceptions, body morphology, strength and hormonal profiles in contexts of sexual selection. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21296. [PMID: 33277544 PMCID: PMC7719159 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77940-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection appears to have shaped the acoustic signals of diverse species, including humans. Deep, resonant vocalizations in particular may function in attracting mates and/or intimidating same-sex competitors. Evidence for these adaptive functions in human males derives predominantly from perception studies in which vocal acoustic parameters were manipulated using specialist software. This approach affords tight experimental control but provides little ecological validity, especially when the target acoustic parameters vary naturally with other parameters. Furthermore, such experimental studies provide no information about what acoustic variables indicate about the speaker-that is, why attention to vocal cues may be favored in intrasexual and intersexual contexts. Using voice recordings with high ecological validity from 160 male speakers and biomarkers of condition, including baseline cortisol and testosterone levels, body morphology and strength, we tested a series of pre-registered hypotheses relating to both perceptions and underlying condition of the speaker. We found negative curvilinear and negative linear relationships between male fundamental frequency (fo) and female perceptions of attractiveness and male perceptions of dominance. In addition, cortisol and testosterone negatively interacted in predicting fo, and strength and measures of body size negatively predicted formant frequencies (Pf). Meta-analyses of the present results and those from two previous samples confirmed that fonegatively predicted testosterone only among men with lower cortisol levels. This research offers empirical evidence of possible evolutionary functions for attention to men's vocal characteristics in contexts of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Schild
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Toe Aung
- Department of Anthropology and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Tobias L Kordsmeyer
- Department of Psychology and Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Gosslerstrasse 14, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Rodrigo A Cardenas
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - David A Puts
- Department of Anthropology and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Lars Penke
- Department of Psychology and Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Gosslerstrasse 14, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.
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Zäske R, Skuk VG, Schweinberger SR. Attractiveness and distinctiveness between speakers' voices in naturalistic speech and their faces are uncorrelated. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:201244. [PMID: 33489273 PMCID: PMC7813223 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Facial attractiveness has been linked to the averageness (or typicality) of a face and, more tentatively, to a speaker's vocal attractiveness, via the 'honest signal' hypothesis, holding that attractiveness signals good genes. In four experiments, we assessed ratings for attractiveness and two common measures of distinctiveness ('distinctiveness-in-the-crowd', DITC and 'deviation-based distinctiveness', DEV) for faces and voices (simple vowels, or more naturalistic sentences) from 64 young adult speakers (32 female). Consistent and substantial negative correlations between attractiveness and DEV generally supported the averageness account of attractiveness, for both voices and faces. By contrast, and indicating that both measures of distinctiveness reflect different constructs, correlations between attractiveness and DITC were numerically positive for faces (though small and non-significant), and significant for voices in sentence stimuli. Between faces and voices, distinctiveness ratings were uncorrelated. Remarkably, and at variance with the honest signal hypothesis, vocal and facial attractiveness were also uncorrelated in all analyses involving naturalistic, i.e. sentence-based, speech. This result pattern was confirmed using a new set of stimuli and raters (experiment 5). Overall, while our findings strongly support an averageness account of attractiveness for both domains, they provide no evidence for an honest signal account of facial and vocal attractiveness in complex naturalistic speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romi Zäske
- Department for General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience & DFG Research Unit Person Perception, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Am Klinikum 1, 07747 Jena, Germany
| | - Verena Gabriele Skuk
- Department for General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience & DFG Research Unit Person Perception, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Am Klinikum 1, 07747 Jena, Germany
| | - Stefan R. Schweinberger
- Department for General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience & DFG Research Unit Person Perception, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, 07743 Jena, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
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Pawelec ŁP, Graja K, Lipowicz A. Vocal Indicators of Size, Shape and Body Composition in Polish Men. J Voice 2020; 36:878.e9-878.e22. [PMID: 33069508 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Revised: 09/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES From a human evolution perspective, identifying a link between physique and vocal quality could demonstrate dual signaling in terms of the health and biological condition of an individual. In this regard, this study investigates the relationship between men's body size, shape, and composition, and their vocal characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eleven anthropometric measurements, using seven indices, were carried out with 80 adult Polish male participants, while the speech analysis adopted a voice recording procedure that involved phonetically recording vowels /ɑː/, /ɛː/, /iː/, /ɔː/, /uː/ to define the voice acoustic components used in Praat software. RESULTS The relationship between voice parameters and body size/shape/composition was found. The analysis indicated that the formants and their derivatives were useful parameters for prediction of height, weight, neck, shoulder, waist, and hip circumferences. Fundamental frequency (F0) was negatively correlated with neck circumference at Adam's apple level and body height. Moreover neck circumference and F0 association was observed for the first time in this paper. The association between waist circumference and formant component showed a net effect. In addition, the formant parameters showed significant correlations with body shape, indicating a lower vocal timbre in men with a larger relative waist circumference. DISCUSSION Men with lower vocal pitch had wider necks, probably a result of larynx size. Furthermore, a greater waist circumference, presumably resulting from abdominal fat distribution in men, correlated with a lower vocal timbre. While these results are inconclusive, they highlight new directions for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Piotr Pawelec
- Department of Anthropology, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland.
| | - Katarzyna Graja
- Department of Anthropology, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Anna Lipowicz
- Department of Anthropology, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland; Institute of Physiotherapy and Health Sciences, Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland
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18
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Suire A, Tognetti A, Durand V, Raymond M, Barkat-Defradas M. Speech Acoustic Features: A Comparison of Gay Men, Heterosexual Men, and Heterosexual Women. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2020; 49:2575-2583. [PMID: 32236763 PMCID: PMC7497419 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-020-01665-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Potential differences between homosexual and heterosexual men have been studied on a diverse set of social and biological traits. Regarding acoustic features of speech, researchers have hypothesized a feminization of such characteristics in homosexual men, but previous investigations have so far produced mixed results. Moreover, most studies have been conducted with English-speaking populations, which calls for further cross-linguistic examinations. Lastly, no studies investigated so far the potential role of testosterone in the association between sexual orientation and speech acoustic features. To fill these gaps, we explored potential differences in acoustic features of speech between homosexual and heterosexual native French men and investigated whether the former showed a trend toward feminization by comparing theirs to that of heterosexual native French women. Lastly, we examined whether testosterone levels mediated the association between speech acoustic features and sexual orientation. We studied four sexually dimorphic acoustic features relevant for the qualification of feminine versus masculine voices: the fundamental frequency, its modulation, and two understudied acoustic features of speech, the harmonics-to-noise ratio (a proxy of vocal breathiness) and the jitter (a proxy of vocal roughness). Results showed that homosexual men displayed significantly higher pitch modulation patterns and less breathy voices compared to heterosexual men, with values shifted toward those of heterosexual women. Lastly, testosterone levels did not influence any of the investigated acoustic features. Combined with the literature conducted in other languages, our findings bring new support for the feminization hypothesis and suggest that the feminization of some acoustic features could be shared across languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Suire
- CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Arnaud Tognetti
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, 21 Allée de Brienne, 31015, Toulouse, France.
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Valérie Durand
- CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Michel Raymond
- CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Melissa Barkat-Defradas
- CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
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19
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Voice Characteristics in Smith–Magenis Syndrome: An Acoustic Study of Laryngeal Biomechanics. LANGUAGES 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/languages5030031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Smith–Magenis syndrome (SMS) is a rare genetic disease characterized by intellectual disability, serious behavior disorders, neurodevelopment delay, and speech and language disorders. An acoustic and biomechanical analysis of the voice of SMS young adults was carried out due to (a) the close relationship between the laryngeal biomechanics and the clinical and emotional state of a person; (b) the fact that no research on the voice in this syndrome has been conducted previously. The vocal timbre of most people diagnosed with SMS does not seem to be according to the complexion of diagnosed individuals, nor to their gender and age, so it could be interesting to attend the analysis of phonation of people with a rare genetic syndrome such as SMS. We used BioMetPhon, a specific piece of software to analyze the glottal source and biomechanics of vocals folds. Nineteen features related to dysphonia, physiology, and biomechanics of the vocal folds were considered. The adult phonation of 9 individuals with SMS was analyzed and compared to 100 normative male and female adult voices. Results showed that the phonation of the SMS group significantly deviates from the adult normophonic profile in more than one of the 19 features examined, such as stiffness of the thyroarytenoid muscle and dynamic mass of the vocal fold cover, among others.
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20
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Ivanenko A, Watkins P, van Gerven MAJ, Hammerschmidt K, Englitz B. Classifying sex and strain from mouse ultrasonic vocalizations using deep learning. PLoS Comput Biol 2020; 16:e1007918. [PMID: 32569292 PMCID: PMC7347231 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocalizations are widely used for communication between animals. Mice use a large repertoire of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in different social contexts. During social interaction recognizing the partner's sex is important, however, previous research remained inconclusive whether individual USVs contain this information. Using deep neural networks (DNNs) to classify the sex of the emitting mouse from the spectrogram we obtain unprecedented performance (77%, vs. SVM: 56%, Regression: 51%). Performance was even higher (85%) if the DNN could also use each mouse's individual properties during training, which may, however, be of limited practical value. Splitting estimation into two DNNs and using 24 extracted features per USV, spectrogram-to-features and features-to-sex (60%) failed to reach single-step performance. Extending the features by each USVs spectral line, frequency and time marginal in a semi-convolutional DNN resulted in a performance mid-way (64%). Analyzing the network structure suggests an increase in sparsity of activation and correlation with sex, specifically in the fully-connected layers. A detailed analysis of the USV structure, reveals a subset of male vocalizations characterized by a few acoustic features, while the majority of sex differences appear to rely on a complex combination of many features. The same network architecture was also able to achieve above-chance classification for cortexless mice, which were considered indistinguishable before. In summary, spectrotemporal differences between male and female USVs allow at least their partial classification, which enables sexual recognition between mice and automated attribution of USVs during analysis of social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Ivanenko
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Institute of Biology and Biomedicine, Lobachevsky State University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | | | - M. A. J. van Gerven
- Department of Artificial Intelligence, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - K. Hammerschmidt
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - B. Englitz
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
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21
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Tognetti A, Durand V, Barkat-Defradas M, Hopfensitz A. Does he sound cooperative? Acoustic correlates of cooperativeness. Br J Psychol 2019; 111:823-839. [PMID: 31820449 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The sound of the voice has several acoustic features that influence the perception of how cooperative the speaker is. It remains unknown, however, whether these acoustic features are associated with actual cooperative behaviour. This issue is crucial to disentangle whether inferences of traits from voices are based on stereotypes, or facilitate the detection of cooperative partners. The latter is likely due to the pleiotropic effect that testosterone has on both cooperative behaviours and acoustic features. In the present study, we quantified the cooperativeness of native French-speaking men in a one-shot public good game. We also measured mean fundamental frequency, pitch variations, roughness, and breathiness from spontaneous speech recordings of the same men and collected saliva samples to measure their testosterone levels. Our results showed that men with lower-pitched voices and greater pitch variations were more cooperative. However, testosterone did not influence cooperative behaviours or acoustic features. Our finding provides the first evidence of the acoustic correlates of cooperative behaviour. When considered in combination with the literature on the detection of cooperativeness from faces, the results imply that assessment of cooperative behaviour would be improved by simultaneous consideration of visual and auditory cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Tognetti
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, France
| | | | | | - Astrid Hopfensitz
- Toulouse School of Economics, Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, France
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22
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Schild C, Stern J, Zettler I. Linking men's voice pitch to actual and perceived trustworthiness across domains. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Previous research suggests that judgments about a male speaker's trustworthiness vary due to the speaker's voice pitch (mean F0) and differ across domains. However, mixed results in terms of the direction and extent of such effects have been reported. Moreover, no study so far has investigated whether men's mean F0 is, indeed, a valid cue to their self-reported and behavioral trustworthiness, and whether trustworthiness judgments are accurate. We tested the relation between mean F0 and actual general, economic, and mating-related trustworthiness in 181 men, as well as trustworthiness judgments of 95 perceivers across all three domains. Analyses show that men's mean F0 is not related to Honesty–Humility (as a trait indicator of general trustworthiness), trustworthy intentions, or trust game behavior, suggesting no relation of mean F0 to general or economic trustworthiness. In contrast, results suggest that mean F0 might be related to mating-related trustworthiness (as indicated by self-reported relationship infidelity). However, lower mean F0 was judged as more trustworthy in economic but less trustworthy in mating-related domains and rather weakly related to judgments of general trustworthiness. Trustworthiness judgments were not accurate for general or economic trustworthiness, but exploratory analyses suggest that women might be able to accurately judge men's relationship infidelity based on their voice pitch. Next to these analyses, we report exploratory analyses involving and controlling for additional voice parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Schild
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Julia Stern
- Department of Psychology and Leibniz Science Campus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Gosslerstrasse, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Ingo Zettler
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade, Copenhagen, Denmark
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23
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Suire A, Raymond M, Barkat-Defradas M. Male Vocal Quality and Its Relation to Females' Preferences. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 17:1474704919874675. [PMID: 31564128 PMCID: PMC10367192 DOI: 10.1177/1474704919874675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In both correlational and experimental settings, studies on women's vocal preferences have reported negative relationships between perceived attractiveness and men's vocal pitch, emphasizing the idea of an adaptive preference. However, such consensus on vocal attractiveness has been mostly conducted with native English speakers, but a few evidence suggest that it may be culture-dependent. Moreover, other overlooked acoustic components of vocal quality, such as intonation, perceived breathiness and roughness, may influence vocal attractiveness. In this context, the present study aims to contribute to the literature by investigating vocal attractiveness in an underrepresented language (i.e., French) as well as shedding light on its relationship with understudied acoustic components of vocal quality. More specifically, we investigated the relationships between attractiveness ratings as assessed by female raters and male voice pitch, its variation, the formants' dispersion and position, and the harmonics-to-noise and jitter ratios. Results show that women were significantly more attracted to lower vocal pitch and higher intonation patterns. However, they did not show any directional preferences for all the other acoustic features. We discuss our results in light of the adaptive functions of vocal preferences in a mate choice context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Suire
- ISEM, University Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Michel Raymond
- ISEM, University Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
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24
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Voice of Authority: Professionals Lower Their Vocal Frequencies When Giving Expert Advice. JOURNAL OF NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10919-019-00307-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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25
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Schild C, Feinberg DR, Puts DA, Jünger J, Fasolt V, Holzleitner I, O'Shea K, Lai R, Arslan R, Hahn A, Cárdenas RA, DeBruine LM, Jones BC. TEMPORARY REMOVAL: Are attractive female voices really best characterized by feminine fundamental and formant frequencies? EVOL HUM BEHAV 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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26
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A house of cards: bias in perception of body size mediates the relationship between voice pitch and perceptions of dominance. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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27
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Mahrholz G, Belin P, McAleer P. Judgements of a speaker's personality are correlated across differing content and stimulus type. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0204991. [PMID: 30286148 PMCID: PMC6171871 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
It has previously been shown that first impressions of a speaker's personality, whether accurate or not, can be judged from short utterances of vowels and greetings, as well as from prolonged sentences and readings of complex paragraphs. From these studies, it is established that listeners' judgements are highly consistent with one another, suggesting that different people judge personality traits in a similar fashion, with three key personality traits being related to measures of valence (associated with trustworthiness), dominance, and attractiveness. Yet, particularly in voice perception, limited research has established the reliability of such personality judgements across stimulus types of varying lengths. Here we investigate whether first impressions of trustworthiness, dominance, and attractiveness of novel speakers are related when a judgement is made on hearing both one word and one sentence from the same speaker. Secondly, we test whether what is said, thus adjusting content, influences the stability of personality ratings. 60 Scottish voices (30 females) were recorded reading two texts: one of ambiguous content and one with socially-relevant content. One word (~500 ms) and one sentence (~3000 ms) were extracted from each recording for each speaker. 181 participants (138 females) rated either male or female voices across both content conditions (ambiguous, socially-relevant) and both stimulus types (word, sentence) for one of the three personality traits (trustworthiness, dominance, attractiveness). Pearson correlations showed personality ratings between words and sentences were strongly correlated, with no significant influence of content. In short, when establishing an impression of a novel speaker, judgments of three key personality traits are highly related whether you hear one word or one sentence, irrespective of what they are saying. This finding is consistent with initial personality judgments serving as elucidators of approach or avoidance behaviour, without modulation by time or content. All data and sounds are available on OSF (osf.io/s3cxy).
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaby Mahrholz
- School of Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Pascal Belin
- Institut des Neurosciences de la Timone, UMR 7289, CNRS and Université Aix-Marseille, Marseille, France
| | - Phil McAleer
- School of Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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28
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Banai B, Laustsen L, Banai IP, Bovan K. Presidential, But Not Prime Minister, Candidates With Lower Pitched Voices Stand a Better Chance of Winning the Election in Conservative Countries. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2018; 16:1474704918758736. [PMID: 29911405 PMCID: PMC10367500 DOI: 10.1177/1474704918758736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 01/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that voters rely on sexually dimorphic traits that signal masculinity and dominance when they choose political leaders. For example, voters exert strong preferences for candidates with lower pitched voices because these candidates are perceived as stronger and more competent. Moreover, experimental studies demonstrate that conservative voters, more than liberals, prefer political candidates with traits that signal dominance, probably because conservatives are more likely to perceive the world as a threatening place and to be more attentive to dangerous and threatening contexts. In light of these findings, this study investigates whether country-level ideology influences the relationship between candidate voice pitch and electoral outcomes of real elections. Specifically, we collected voice pitch data for presidential and prime minister candidates, aggregate national ideology for the countries in which the candidates were nominated, and measures of electoral outcomes for 69 elections held across the world. In line with previous studies, we found that candidates with lower pitched voices received more votes and had greater likelihood of winning the elections. Furthermore, regression analysis revealed an interaction between candidate voice pitch, national ideology, and election type (presidential or parliamentary). That is, having a lower pitched voice was a particularly valuable asset for presidential candidates in conservative and right-leaning countries (in comparison to presidential candidates in liberal and left-leaning countries and parliamentary elections). We discuss the practical implications of these findings, and how they relate to existing research on candidates' voices, voting preferences, and democratic elections in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Banai
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Lasse Laustsen
- Department of Political Science, Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus Universitet, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Kosta Bovan
- Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
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29
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Abstract
Adult sex ratios in a local environment are linked to a wide variety of reproductive behaviors in humans and other animals. When sex ratios are biased, the more numerous sex faces increased competition for mates and is more likely to yield to the sociosexual preferences of the less numerous sex. Despite widespread evidence of the relationship between sex ratios and behavior, we know little about whether or how sex ratios are encoded and perceived. In two experiments men and women showed perceived sex ratios that correlated with actual sex ratios after 1500 ms exposures to groups of simultaneous voices. However, men perceived more female voices than women did, and women perceived more male voices than men did. Women showed better accuracy than men, but only when sex ratios departed markedly from 50%. Increasing the number of simultaneous voices reduced accuracy, but only at extreme sex ratios. Talker age also significantly affected perceived sex ratios, suggesting that perceived operational sex ratios are adaptively linked to the reproductive viability of the local population. The results suggest that listeners automatically encode vocal sex ratio information and that perceived sex ratios are influenced by characteristics of the local population and characteristics of the listener.
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Affiliation(s)
- John G Neuhoff
- The College of Wooster, 1189 Beall Ave, Wooster, OH 44691, USA.
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30
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Pavela Banai I. Voice in different phases of menstrual cycle among naturally cycling women and users of hormonal contraceptives. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183462. [PMID: 28829842 PMCID: PMC5568722 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown changes in women's behavior and physical appearance between the non-fertile and fertile phases of the menstrual cycle. It is assumed that these changes are regulated by fluctuations in sex hormone levels across the cycle. Receptors for sex hormones have been found on the vocal folds, suggesting a link between hormone levels and vocal fold function, which might cause changes in voice production. However, attempts to identify changes in voice production across the menstrual cycle have produced mixed results. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate changes in sexually dimorphic vocal characteristics and quality of women's voices in different phases of the cycle and to compare these with users of monophasic hormonal contraception. Voice samples (vowel phonation) of 44 naturally cycling women were obtained in the menstrual, late follicular (confirmed by LH surge) and luteal phases, and in 20 hormonal contraceptive users across equivalent stages of the monthly cycle. Results showed that voices of naturally cycling women had higher minimum pitch in the late follicular phase compared with the other phases. In addition, voice intensity was at its lowest in the luteal phase. In contrast, there were no voice changes across the cycle in hormonal contraceptive users. Comparison between the two groups of women revealed that the naturally cycling group had higher minimum pitch in the fertile phase and higher harmonics to noise ratio in the menstrual phase. In general, present results support the assumption that sex hormones might have an effect on voice function. These results, coupled with mixed findings in previous studies, suggest that vocal changes in relation to hormonal fluctuation are subtle, at least during vowel production. Future studies should explore voice changes in a defined social context and with more free-flowing speech.
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31
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Barreda S. An investigation of the systematic use of spectral information in the determination of apparent-talker height. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 141:4781. [PMID: 28679275 DOI: 10.1121/1.4985192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The perception of apparent-talker height is mostly determined by the fundamental frequency (f0) and spectral characteristics of a voice. Although it is traditionally thought that spectral cues affect apparent-talker height by influencing apparent vocal-tract length, a recent experiment [Barreda (2016). J. Phon. 55, 1-18] suggests that apparent-talker height can vary significantly within-talker on the basis of phonemically-determined spectral variability. In this experiment, listeners were asked to estimate the height of 10 female talkers based on manipulated natural productions of bVd words containing one of /i æ ɑ u ɝ/. Results indicate that although listeners appear to use vocal-tract length estimates in determining apparent-height, apparent-talker height also varies significantly within-talker based on the inherent spectral and source characteristics of different vowels, with vowels with lower formant-frequencies and f0 being associated with taller talkers overall. The use of spectral and f0 information in apparent-height estimation varied considerably between listeners, resulting in additional variation in the apparent-height of talkers. Although the use of acoustic information in the determination of apparent-height was highly systematic, it does not necessarily follow from the empirical relationship between speech acoustics and actual talker height.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Barreda
- Department of Linguistics, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
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32
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Šebesta P, Kleisner K, Tureček P, Kočnar T, Akoko RM, Třebický V, Havlíček J. Voices of Africa: acoustic predictors of human male vocal attractiveness. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Pisanski K, Oleszkiewicz A, Sorokowska A. Can blind persons accurately assess body size from the voice? Biol Lett 2017; 12:rsbl.2016.0063. [PMID: 27095264 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal tract resonances provide reliable information about a speaker's body size that human listeners use for biosocial judgements as well as speech recognition. Although humans can accurately assess men's relative body size from the voice alone, how this ability is acquired remains unknown. In this study, we test the prediction that accurate voice-based size estimation is possible without prior audiovisual experience linking low frequencies to large bodies. Ninety-one healthy congenitally or early blind, late blind and sighted adults (aged 20-65) participated in the study. On the basis of vowel sounds alone, participants assessed the relative body sizes of male pairs of varying heights. Accuracy of voice-based body size assessments significantly exceeded chance and did not differ among participants who were sighted, or congenitally blind or who had lost their sight later in life. Accuracy increased significantly with relative differences in physical height between men, suggesting that both blind and sighted participants used reliable vocal cues to size (i.e. vocal tract resonances). Our findings demonstrate that prior visual experience is not necessary for accurate body size estimation. This capacity, integral to both nonverbal communication and speech perception, may be present at birth or may generalize from broader cross-modal correspondences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Pisanski
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Sussex, UK
| | | | - Agnieszka Sorokowska
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Germany
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Hughes SM, Harrison MA. Your Cheatin' Voice Will Tell on You: Detection of Past Infidelity from Voice. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 15:1474704917711513. [PMID: 28580806 PMCID: PMC10367480 DOI: 10.1177/1474704917711513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence suggests that many physical, behavioral, and trait qualities can be detected solely from the sound of a person's voice, irrespective of the semantic information conveyed through speech. This study examined whether raters could accurately assess the likelihood that a person has cheated on committed, romantic partners simply by hearing the speaker's voice. Independent raters heard voice samples of individuals who self-reported that they either cheated or had never cheated on their romantic partners. To control for aspects that may clue a listener to the speaker's mate value, we used voice samples that did not differ between these groups for voice attractiveness, age, voice pitch, and other acoustic measures. We found that participants indeed rated the voices of those who had a history of cheating as more likely to cheat. Male speakers were given higher ratings for cheating, while female raters were more likely to ascribe the likelihood to cheat to speakers. Additionally, we manipulated the pitch of the voice samples, and for both sexes, the lower pitched versions were consistently rated to be from those who were more likely to have cheated. Regardless of the pitch manipulation, speakers were able to assess actual history of infidelity; the one exception was that men's accuracy decreased when judging women whose voices were lowered. These findings expand upon the idea that the human voice may be of value as a cheater detection tool and very thin slices of vocal information are all that is needed to make certain assessments about others.
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Han C, Kandrik M, Hahn AC, Fisher CI, Feinberg DR, Holzleitner IJ, DeBruine LM, Jones BC. Interrelationships Among Men's Threat Potential, Facial Dominance, and Vocal Dominance. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 15:1474704917697332. [PMID: 28277747 PMCID: PMC11383189 DOI: 10.1177/1474704917697332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/11/2024] Open
Abstract
The benefits of minimizing the costs of engaging in violent conflict are thought to have shaped adaptations for the rapid assessment of others' capacity to inflict physical harm. Although studies have suggested that men's faces and voices both contain information about their threat potential, one recent study suggested that men's faces are a more valid cue of their threat potential than their voices are. Consequently, the current study investigated the interrelationships among a composite measure of men's actual threat potential (derived from the measures of their upper-body strength, height, and weight) and composite measures of these men's perceived facial and vocal threat potential (derived from dominance, strength, and weight ratings of their faces and voices, respectively). Although men's perceived facial and vocal threat potential were positively correlated, men's actual threat potential was related to their perceived facial, but not vocal, threat potential. These results present new evidence that men's faces may be a more valid cue of these aspects of threat potential than their voices are.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengyang Han
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
| | - Michal Kandrik
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
| | - Amanda C Hahn
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
- 2 Department of Psychology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA, USA
| | - Claire I Fisher
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
| | - David R Feinberg
- 3 Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Iris J Holzleitner
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
| | - Lisa M DeBruine
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
| | - Benedict C Jones
- 1 Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
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Volitional exaggeration of body size through fundamental and formant frequency modulation in humans. Sci Rep 2016; 6:34389. [PMID: 27687571 PMCID: PMC5043380 DOI: 10.1038/srep34389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Several mammalian species scale their voice fundamental frequency (F0) and formant frequencies in competitive and mating contexts, reducing vocal tract and laryngeal allometry thereby exaggerating apparent body size. Although humans’ rare capacity to volitionally modulate these same frequencies is thought to subserve articulated speech, the potential function of voice frequency modulation in human nonverbal communication remains largely unexplored. Here, the voices of 167 men and women from Canada, Cuba, and Poland were recorded in a baseline condition and while volitionally imitating a physically small and large body size. Modulation of F0, formant spacing (∆F), and apparent vocal tract length (VTL) were measured using Praat. Our results indicate that men and women spontaneously and systemically increased VTL and decreased F0 to imitate a large body size, and reduced VTL and increased F0 to imitate small size. These voice modulations did not differ substantially across cultures, indicating potentially universal sound-size correspondences or anatomical and biomechanical constraints on voice modulation. In each culture, men generally modulated their voices (particularly formants) more than did women. This latter finding could help to explain sexual dimorphism in F0 and formants that is currently unaccounted for by sexual dimorphism in human vocal anatomy and body size.
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Charlton BD, Reby D. The evolution of acoustic size exaggeration in terrestrial mammals. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12739. [PMID: 27598835 PMCID: PMC5025854 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have revealed that some mammals possess adaptations that enable them to produce vocal signals with much lower fundamental frequency (F0) and formant frequency spacing (ΔF) than expected for their size. Although these adaptations are assumed to reflect selection pressures for males to lower frequency components and exaggerate body size in reproductive contexts, this hypothesis has not been tested across a broad range of species. Here we show that male terrestrial mammals produce vocal signals with lower ΔF (but not F0) than expected for their size in mating systems with greater sexual size dimorphism. We also reveal that males produce calls with higher than expected F0 and ΔF in species with increased sperm competition. This investigation confirms that sexual selection favours the use of ΔF as an acoustic size exaggerator and supports the notion of an evolutionary trade-off between pre-copulatory signalling displays and sperm production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin D. Charlton
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Science Centre West, University College Dublin (UCD), Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - David Reby
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Sussex BN1 9QH, UK
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Pisanski K, Cartei V, McGettigan C, Raine J, Reby D. Voice Modulation: A Window into the Origins of Human Vocal Control? Trends Cogn Sci 2016; 20:304-318. [PMID: 26857619 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2016.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2015] [Revised: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
An unresolved issue in comparative approaches to speech evolution is the apparent absence of an intermediate vocal communication system between human speech and the less flexible vocal repertoires of other primates. We argue that humans' ability to modulate nonverbal vocal features evolutionarily linked to expression of body size and sex (fundamental and formant frequencies) provides a largely overlooked window into the nature of this intermediate system. Recent behavioral and neural evidence indicates that humans' vocal control abilities, commonly assumed to subserve speech, extend to these nonverbal dimensions. This capacity appears in continuity with context-dependent frequency modulations recently identified in other mammals, including primates, and may represent a living relic of early vocal control abilities that led to articulated human speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Pisanski
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK; Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Valentina Cartei
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Carolyn McGettigan
- Royal Holloway Vocal Communication Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Jordan Raine
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - David Reby
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
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